Crushed, Crafted, and Created: My Journey Through the Book That Mumbai Wrote

After the release of New York Wakes to Culture, I knew I had to write a book that captured the vastness and chaos of Mumbai. But this one was different—shaped not just by structure, but by the city itself.

While I followed a similar narrative format—seven journalism interns and one lead character, Mahi—this time, each intern had a specific lens through which to view the city: Culture, Crime, Love, Disparity, Mythology, Historical Context, and Transportation. 

This wasn’t just a compression chamber of experiences—it was a newsroom furnace. Each chapter was inked in urgency. And each intern—Mahi, Mariya, Kiara, Aditya, Vihaan, Ritvik, and Shiva—didn’t just live on the page. They lived inside me.

They bickered, stumbled, fell in love, and grew—like every writer’s inner voice racing against a deadline. Ironically, I had no deadline. I wrote as per my whims, driven only by inspiration and the pulse of Mumbai.

The Indian Express setting wasn’t imagined—it was symbolic. It mirrored the madness of the city: the clatter of local trains, the restless sea, the countless cups of cutting chai, and the relentless pressure to chase the next big story. In this journey, deadlines became my editors. Mumbai became my co-author. Its essence poured into every line, every honking jam, every heartbreak my interns endured.

Like a press machine that flattens, stretches, and imprints—this book did the same. It flattened egos, stretched patience, and imprinted clarity.

By the end, it wasn’t just fiction—it became a reflection of what Mumbai does to all of us. It tests us, tempers us, and turns us into stories worth telling. Each chapter felt like a facet of a gem, sometimes shaped painfully, but always with purpose.

This book was about letting Mumbai speak through seven voices—each intern offering a unique perspective, helping me rediscover the city layer by layer. Mahi, in particular, echoed Maira from New York Wakes to Culture—a quiet nod to continuity and comfort.

From poetry about the city to fictional love stories and vividly sketched characters, the book is easy to visualise. Each intern represented one of Mumbai’s original seven islands, adding a symbolic richness to the narrative. And the fact that they helped research and connect one another’s stories added an unexpected layer of interdependence and depth.

Mumbai didn’t give me time—it gave me deadlines. It didn’t give me silence—it gave me sounds I had to translate. But in doing so, it gave me this book.